Previews

Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood

What's more shocking: The antics that occur in this game, or the fact that the characters contained in it do the same things in real life?

Spiffy:

Even crazier antics; much better wrestler creator; it will make your mom wince.

Iffy:

Still too early to tell how much better it will be overall.

When viewed as an experiment, the first Backyard Wrestling had more failures than successes, but it was definitely an interesting case study in what an original idea can bring to the table. The wrestlers in the game and the lengths they went to inflict punishment were unreal -- made more twisted by the fact that they were, in fact, as real as real can be. If you found the first game disturbing, you haven't seen anything yet!

At a remote location in San Francisco, Eidos corralled a group of journalists. It wasn't really the kind of place you'd go for a leisurely stroll, but it served its purpose to illustrate the gritty, dirty nature of Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes The Neighborhood. It was here where we were given some extended time with a version of the game drastically updated from the build displayed at E3. Of course, it was hard to concentrate on the onscreen action when wrestlers like New Jack and The Masked Horndog were pacing around, throwing taunts and threatening to throw punches.

The game is coming along nicely. Lead Designer Kevin Gill admits the first game was no masterpiece. However, he says most of the game was rebuilt from the ground up in order to craft a more competitive, outstanding product. That's definitely encouraging, and this sequel is starting to take shape.

It seems like the in-game characters have enrolled in a wrestling school, because their skills are much more refined. Sure, these guys are best known for bleeding profusely, but that doesn't mean they don't like working on an opponent's arm for a while. But make no mistake: The main focus is brutal violence, and it's delivered in spades, and in more refined fashion than before.

The interactive environment dynamic was one of the things that made the precursor popular, and BYW 2 has given a lot of attention to improving this aspect. Gone are the homing projectiles of the past, where a thrown object would hit you no matter where you were. The implements are also more brutal. How about taking a weed whacker to the flesh of your foe? Just imagine: This is something the hardcore freaks of Backyard Wrestling do in real life.

Speaking of live-action wrestling, the event was highlighted by several gory matches. Some wrestlers used acrobatic moves that defied gravity. Others weren't so graceful, but stepped things up by diving off of a city bus serving as decoration. Few weapons were taboo, including tables, chairs, fluorescent light tubes, thumb tacks, and a customized contraption of five pizza cutters that served to slice up another fighter's back.